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http://www.greenconsumerguide.com/index.php?news=1542
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Great Britain
GREEN CONSUMER GUIDE
Ghost ship double-standards revealed
Monday 17 November 2003
NGO Greenpeace has uncovered evidence of UK ships being taken to India
for decommissioning, in breach of international regulations on the issue
and effectively contradicting the government’s stance on the ex-US Navy
‘ghost ships’ in Hartlepool.
The Rainbow Warrior tracked the dilapidated UK-registered ‘Genova
Bridge’ to a ship-breaking yard in Alang, India, where it will be
stripped of hazardous materials and scrapped.
Ramapati Kumar, a campaigner onboard the Rainbow Warrior said; "This is
a classic case of double standards. While the UK authorities don’t want
US waste in their backyard, they are happy to illegally dump their own
elsewhere, failing to ensure safe removal of toxic substances and safe
conditions for the workers in the developing world. We demand that the
UK government apply the same international rules to their illegal export
of toxic ships to India, as they apply to the illegal import of the
Ghost fleet to the UK.”
While the internationally accepted Basel Convention categorises
end-of-life ships as waste that require regulated exportation, the
International Maritime Organisation does not regard the vessels as
waste.
Paul Horsman of Greenpeace International added a scathing assessment of
existing regulations on the issue, saying; "The inability of the
International Maritime Organisation to address this issue conclusively
is no longer acceptable. When the IMO's General Assembly meets later
this month, it needs to conclude that the illegal export of toxic
end-of-life-ships will be stopped. Any other conclusion will show the
inability of the IMO to deal with current marine and environmental
issues.”
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